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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30041061">Comfort From A Rippling Reflection</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistyeyedbi/pseuds/mistyeyedbi'>mistyeyedbi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Kissing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:29:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,569</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30041061</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistyeyedbi/pseuds/mistyeyedbi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zuri seeks out comfort from a familiar face.</p>
<p>Kissing Prompt 1: A shy kiss</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Detective/Falk (The Wayhaven Chronicles), Female Detective/Falk (The Wayhaven Chronicles)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>the lips the teeth the tip of the tongue</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Comfort From A Rippling Reflection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was too quiet. Too still. White walls towered over her, the shadows cast across them taunted her, jabbing at the lump in her throat with a stick, poking at the evidence of her loneliness. A gentle breeze billowed past the curtains and rustled the leaves of her many houseplants, a sound that may have soothed the ache in her chest if her heart would allow it, would stop drumming in her ears and slow the rush of blood to her face. The sun was setting behind her windows, bathing the sparsely furnished room in a fiery orange and it was beautiful. It was. But it had no substance, a pretty room that stirred nothing, not the way a set of eyes caught in the sun’s glow and a hearty laugh would. Zuri was alone.</p>
<p>And she didn’t do well alone.</p>
<p>She sat cross legged on a fuzzy carpet, staring into the mirror that leaned against the wall and stretched to the ceiling. The eyes that stared back at her were rimmed with red, cheeks puffy from the silent tears rolling down her face, salty and sweet in her mouth. Her hair was tied into a puff, baby hairs frayed and shriveled back to their natural state, bonnet discarded when sleep evaded her. She couldn’t go back to Unit Bravo. Surely they’d had enough of her, of the tension in their muscles whenever they were out and about, of constantly being alert should someone decide to cash in their bounty. She wouldn’t put them, or anyone else in danger. So she stayed in the apartment.</p>
<p>But she can’t stand this <em>quiet</em>, this <em>anxiousness</em> crawling up her spine whenever she was alone. She needed someone, <em>anyone</em>.</p>
<p>Her lips trembled when they parted. Words bubbled beneath the aching lump, a choked plea squeezing its way past it in fragments. A tiny voice lodged in the back of her mind screamed. Screamed at her for being so pathetic, for refusing to use the knowledge she had to get better. To be better. But a doctor could not treat themselves objectively, despite being aware of the symptoms. So she sat in a pool of self awareness and inaction. </p>
<p>She shouldn’t need people like this, but she did. This has almost killed her, crushed her soul into specs of dust and left her a hollow shell of herself. She couldn’t let that happen again, screamed the voice. But her emotions overwhelmed her rationale, reducing it to a whisper. </p>
<p>The reflection rippled before a stream of cool air fanned her face. A taloned hand reached through the mirror and landed on the carpet, followed by another, and head full of white hair, and eventually, Falk was sitting in front of her. </p>
<p>He squinted slightly in the light, white brows knitting together as concern flickered in his golden eyes like flames. Her hands clutched each other tighter, resisting the urge to reach out and follow the streaks of light highlighting his cheekbones. To pull him into a hug because he was here. He was actually here (but it wasn’t of his own volition, and embarrassment boiled in the pit of her stomach). His hand raised from the carpet and reached for her face, pausing in mid-air before wiping away the steadily falling tears from her cheeks. Zuri shivered and bowed her head, lips trembling as she spoke. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,’ she said, her voice hoarse and tight with the effort it took to swallow silent sobs. “I just…I don’t do well alone.”</p>
<p>A crooked finger underneath her chin urged her to look up. His next words were soft rumble, burrowing into her chest and soothing the drumming of her heart into a familiar flutter as she gazed into his eyes. His lips curl into a soft smile. “Fortunately, you no longer are.”</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Falk started to visit more often, slinking through the mirror at the same time of their previous meeting with a smile on his face. They were frequent, almost everyday, and the subtle accommodations they had made for each other sat on her shoulder like a parrot, constantly pointing out her growing attachment to him. He began to leave his shoes at the door next to hers, occasionally opting to arrive barefoot. She drew the curtains closed to ease the effect of the sun on his eyes and offered him a wink when his eyes landed on the tea she made for him.</p>
<p>He was sitting on the couch, hands clasped around a steaming mug. The sight of him in her apartment was still strange to her. It was almost as if he wasn’t real, a figment of her imagination to chase her anxieties away. His extravagant robes and accessories contrasted the splashes of pinks and greens accenting the mostly white rooms. This was the most time she had spent within these walls, a place that she has never called home. And yet images of him filled each room with a warmth that was never there before, and a need to flee reared its ugly head. Nothing good came from staying, but she could bring herself to keep her distance. She didn’t want to.</p>
<p>“I’m surprised I haven’t ran into one of your companions yet,” said Falk. He blew at the tea (her eyes lingered on his lips and the butterflies in her stomach battled with the buzzing of impending doom), the steam shifting to reveal the curious gaze.</p>
<p>She blinked from her place next to him, clearing her throat before answering. “I’m sorry?”</p>
<p>His lips curled into a teasing smile having noticed where her attention was. This was a dance they had rehearsed many times, the brushing of hands and thighs and flirty exchanges becoming part of their routine. </p>
<p>“I was under the impression that you spent quite a lot of time with them.”</p>
<p>She laughed, a manufactured giggle escaping her lips as a sharp pang needled its way into her chest (he knew it was fake, the brief wince on his face was a surefire sign that he saw right through her; a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ frown that she caught only because her eyes refused to look elsewhere). She did. She wanted to. But not with that bounty. Not when she had so easily become a burden. She shifted, her knee brushing against his as she turned to face him . “Oh, no. There has to be some space between us. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say”</p>
<p>“A saying that inspires pain, I’m sure,” he murmured, a faraway look washing over his features. Before Zuri could question it, Falk had set the tea down and placed a hand on her knee, a jolt shooting up her leg as he continued. “It seems you have grown quite close to them.”</p>
<p>“They’re just supposed to be co-workers,” she said. A stern tone seeped into her voice, as if reprimanding herself for allowing them to become anything more. For allowing them to wiggle their way into her personal life and see what was below the tip of the iceberg protruding from the surface. </p>
<p>“Yet they are not. I have seen the way each of them look at you. They are already fond of you. As am I,” he said, a softness taking over his features. Her heart skipped in her chest at the admission, their bodies drifting closer as they gazed into each other’s eyes, surroundings fading away as gold met brown.</p>
<p>“Your presence is valued, detective-”</p>
<p>“Zuri.”</p>
<p>“Right,” he chuckled, a low rumbling sound like rocks tumbling down a mountain. “Zuri.”</p>
<p>A shiver ran down her spine. She had been trying to get him to say his name, but she wasn’t as prepared to hear it as she thought she was. It fell from his lips as a low hum, dipped in adoration that she had never heard before and she wanted to hear it again. Have him whisper it into her skin until it settled into her bones and that was all she knew.</p>
<p>“It is?” She whispered, voice dying in her throat.</p>
<p>“More than you could know.” The tip of his nose brushed against hers as he continued, “I hope we can grow close as well.”</p>
<p>Zuri smiled, butterflies fluttering frantically in her stomach, heart beating against her ribcage, both drowning out the voice telling her that this wouldn’t last. She wanted to kiss him dammit, the thought alone made her hands tremble. All caution was thrown to the wind.</p>
<p>“We’re pretty close right now,” she said with a breathless laugh.</p>
<p>“Then perhaps we should get even closer.”</p>
<p>There was her opening. She should just lean in and kiss him. Kiss him. <em>Kiss him dammit!</em></p>
<p>But she was frozen in place. <em>Shit</em><em>!</em> She has never been this nervous.</p>
<p>“The feeling is mutual,” he chuckled, a warm tint growing on his cheeks. She must have said it out loud, <em>shit</em>!</p>
<p>She forces her body to move, jerking forward to press a chaste kiss to his lips with her eyes shut tight. He smiled and cupped her cheek before coaxing her forward and meeting her in the middle. His lips slid against her, soft and cool and slow. She sighed into the kiss and clasped the back oh his neck, her fingers delving into the base of his hair as an arm slinked around her waist.</p>
<p>She didn’t do well alone, but she was starting to like being alone with him.</p>
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